Combined receptacle and pilot light



- July 9, 1929.

T. A. BOTH COMBINED HECEPTACLE AND PILOT LIGHT Fil ed Feb. 10, 1926awunl'oz attorneys,

Patented July 9, 1929.

UNITED STATE-S 1,720,463 PATENT -OFFICE.=

TON'JES A. BOTH, or s'rnamronn, .oonnncrrcum, assren'on TO rm: commommELECTRIC mnurncmunme COMPANY, or nnrnenron'r, oonnncrrco'r, A con-I'OBATION OF CONNECTICUT oomsmnn manners nn error LIGHT.

Application filed February 10, 192 Serial no. amass.

This invention relates to electric fittings such as a wall fitting whichis mounted in a wall outlet box, and especially to a receptacle having apilot light connected therewith.

I In the use of wall receptacles, especially where they are used tosupply current for electrical. attachments, such as flat irons,

toasters and the like, it is desirable to have associated with thereceptacle a pilot light to 1 indicate when the attachment is connectedto the supply circuit. In previous arrangements of this type of deviceone of the objections has been that it was possible to connect theattachment in the circuit and thus get current for the attachmentwithout lighting the pilot light and obviously such a device 1sunsatisfactory as being unreliable.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide areceptacle and a pilot light associated therewith, in which the elementsare so arranged that when the contact blades of the attachment plugl capare insert- 7 ed in the receptacle they wi insure closure of the circuitto the pilot light if the circuit is closed to the attachment tothusinsure that the pilot light is always lighted when the attachment isconnected in the circuit.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a fitting involving areceptacle and a pilot light which will be in one unitary structure, andwill not require any more space in a wall outlet box than a singlefitting.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised theconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part ofthis specification, similar reference characters being employedthroughout the various figures to indicate corresponding elements. Inthis drawing,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionsubstantially on line 22 of Fig. 1 and showing the wall outlet box indotted lines, and

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the device.

The drawing shows in Fig. 2 in dotted lines a wall 10 and the outlet box11 mounted in a recess therein, and the usual lead wires, not shown,from the house wiring system lead into this box in the usual manner, andare 50 connected to the proper fitting or electrical device mountedtherein. a

My improved device comprises a receptacle to receive the contacts of anattachment plug cap to connect the attachment to the house circuitandassociated therewith a pilot light and mounting therefor, and theyare so arranged that these two devices require no more space 1n theoutlet box than a sin le fitting. The electrical contacts are mounted ina support comprising a cover plate 12 made of suitable molded insulatingmaterial and rearwardly extending walls 13 molded in one piece with thiscover plate and forming chambers or recesses in which the variouselectrical contacts are mounted. At the lower art of the fitting are apair of spaced cham ers or recesses 14 and 15 in which are mountedreceptacle or main plug engaging contacts 16 and 1 7 respectively, andin the cover plate are openings 18 and 19 in the form of slots leadng tothese chambers respectively and formmg guides for the passage of thecontact blades 20 of any suitable type of attachment plug cap 21 fromwhich the usual lead wires extend to the electrical attachment beingused. Mounted at the rear of the cover plate is a binding post screw 22mounted on a plate 23 a and secured to the rearwardlyextending walls bymeans of a rivet 24 molded in these walls, and the lower springreceptacle contact 16 is secured to this plate. A second binding postscrew 25 is mounted on a plate 26 similarly mounted on the rearwardlyextending walls by rivet 27 molded in these walls, and the otherreceptacle contact 17 is connected to this plate. As the lead wires fromthe house circuit, or a switch connected in this circuit, are connectedto the binding post screws-22 and 25 the attachment will, of course, beconnected in the supply circuit when the cap blades 20 are in engagementwith these receptacle contacts.

Associated with this receptacle is a pilot light for indicating when theattachment is connected in the circuit. This light comprises a smalllamp 28 mounted in back of the cover plate. Mounted on one of therearwardly extending walls is a plate 29 secured to this wall by rivet30 molded in the wall, and this plate extends toward the cover plate andincludes a pair of supports 31 and 32 integral with this plate. Themember 31 is in the form of substantially a ring with an openingtherethrough to receive the threaded side l'ai'np contact 33 which isconnected to one end of thefilamentin the lamp, and the other support 32also has an opening therethrough for this threaded contact but oneportion thereof is ofiset as indicated at 34 a distance corresponding tothe distance between adjacent threads of the threaded contact, so thatthe opposite sides of the opening w1ll seat within the grooves onopposlte sides of a thread as indicated in Fig. 3, the offset be ngprovided with a notch 35 throu h which this thread may extend. Thereore, this threaded contact may be threaded into the member 32, and themembers 31 and 32 hold the lam in position and form electricalconnection hetween the contact 33 and the plate 29. Also electricallyconnected with the late 29 is an auxiliary spring contact 36 orming abreaking contact, and this contact is located in the receptacle chamber15 oppo site to the receptacle contact 17 but in position to be engagedby the upper blade 20 of the cap when it is inserted in the receptacle.As indicated in Fig. 2 this contact 36 extends forwardly beyond the freeend of the contact 17 so that when the blade 20 is inserted into thereceptacle it will engage the contact'36 before it engages the contact17. This insures that when the blades of the cap are 1nserted in thereceptacle the contact 36 connected with the lamp will always be inengagement with one of these blades so long as the blades are inengagement with the receptacle contacts. The circuit through the lamp iscompleted by means of a spring contact 37 connected to the plate 23, andthis spring contact is mounted in position to engage the central lamcontact 38 when the lamp is mounted in t e support 31-32. It will thusbe apparent that when the cap is inserted in the rece tacle the circuitthrough the lamp is closed rom the binding post 25, late 26 toreceptacle contact 17, upper cap lade 20, spring or break contact 36,support 3132, threaded lamp contact 33, lamp filament, central lampcontact 38, spring contact 37 and plate 23 to the binding post 22.

Above the openin s 18 and 19 for the receptacle the cover p ateis-provided with an opening 39 behind which the lamp is located andthrough which it is visible from the front of the plate. It is preferredto mount in this opening a jewel 40, which is usually a piece 0 coloredglass. It will be noted from Fig. 3 that the various electrical elementsare all easily accessible from the rear of the plate for assembling,inspection or repair, and when they are mounted in position they arepreferably enclosed by means of a back plate 41 of suitable fibre orother material mounted on the walls 13.

It will be apparent from the foregoing descri tion that the breakcontact 36 connected to t e lamp engages one of the contact blades 20 ofthe cap before these blades engage the receptacle contacts when the capis plugged into the receptacle, and it will also be true that when thecap is removed from the receptacle the blades 20 will separate from thereceptacle contacts before the up er blade separates from the contact36. erefore, the lamp is always in circuit if the cap blades 20 are inengagement with the receptacle contacts. It is also to be noted that thereceptacle, the pilot light and the mountings therefor are assembled inone unitary fitting which occupies no more space in the wall box'than asingle fittin ordinarily does, thus conserving space within the wallbox. The device is also easily mounted in position and is se cured tothe wall box by means of screws passing through the openings 42 in thecover plate. As these openings may be elongated somewhat transversely ofthe plate they allow for certain adjustment of the device for properlyaligning the plate and mounting it in the vertical position. The heads43 may be of insulating material to give an entirely dead front deviceand they are sufliciently large in diameter to cover t e slots oropenings 42.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claimis:

1. In a device of the character described, a receptacle having contactsto engage the blade contacts of an attachment plug cap, means forconnecting said receptacle contactsto the leads from a source ofcurrent, a pilot lamp mounting having contacts to engage those of apilot lamp, a connection from one of the pilot lamp contacts to one ofthe receptacle contacts, and an auxiliary contact connected to the otherlamp contact and positioned adjacent the other receptacle contact butspaced-therefrom in,

position to engage a cap contact and extending outwardly beyond saidreceptacle contact so that it will be engaged by the cap contact beforesaid cap contact engages the receptacle conltact as the cap ispluggedinto the receptac e.

2. In a device of the character described, a receptacle having main plugengaging contacts to engage the blade contacts of an attachment plugcap, terminals for connection of lead wires to said plug engagingcontacts, a pair of spaced pilot lamp contacts, one of said lattercontacts being connected to one of the plug engaging contacts, anauxiliary contact connected to the other lamp contact and arranged to beengaged by a cap blade contact before said blade engages a plug engagingcontact as the cap is plugged into the recepiacle and remain inengagement therewit 3. In a device of the character described, areceptacle having main plug engaging contacts to engage the bladecontacts of an attachment plug cap, terminals for connection of leadwires to said plug engaging contacts, a pair of spaced pilot lampcontacts, one of said latter contacts being connected to one of the plugengaging contacts, and an auxiliary contact connected to the other lampcontact arranged adjacent but spaced from the other plug engagingcontact and extending forwardly beyond the same to be engaged by a capcontact before said cap contact engages the adjacent plug engagingcontact as the cap is plugged into the receptacle and to remain inengagement therewith.

4. In a device of the character described, a receptacle having spacedspring contacts to engage the blade contacts of an attachment plug cap,terminals for connection of lead wires to said spring contacts, meansfor mounting a pilot lamp including spaced contacts, one of said lattercontacts being C0111 nected to one of the spring contacts, an auxiliarycontact connected to the otherlamp contact and arranged on the oppositeside of a cap contact from the corresponding spring contact so thatthere is a contact arm on each of the opposing sides of the bladecontacts, said auxiliary contact being extended forwardly beyond thecorresponding spring contact so as to be engaged by the blade contactbefore it enga es the spring contact as the cap is plugged lnto thereceptacle.

5. In a device of the character described, a one piece insulating bodymember including a face plate and rearwardly extending walls projectingfrom the back face thereof provi ing recesses, said face plate havingknife blade openings therein leading to said recesses, receptaclecontacts mounted in said recesses to engage the blade contacts of anattachment plug cap, terminals for connection of lead wires to saidreceptacle contacts, said plate being also provided with a pilot lampopening, means for mounting a pilot lamp behind said latter openingincluding spaced contacts mounted on said rearwardly extending Walls,conducting means connecting one of the lamp contacts to one of thereceptacle contacts, a break contact mounted adjacent the otherreceptacle contact and extending nearer to the knife blade opening inthe face plate leading to this receptacle contact so as to be the firstto engage the cap contact as the cap is plugged into the receptacle andremain 1n engagement therewith, and conducting means connecting thebreak contact with the other lamp contact.

6. In a device of the character described, a one piece'insulat-ing bodymember including a face plate of a size to cover a single gang of astandard wall outlet box and integral walls extending rearwardly fromthe inner face thereof providing recesses, said face plate beingprovided with knife blade openings leading to said recesses, receptaclecontacts in said recesses to engage the contacts of an attachment plugcap, terminals for connection of lead wires to said receptacle contacts,said plate being also provided with a pilot lamp opening spacedlaterally from the knife blade openings and so located that it and theknife blade openin s are within the confines of a single gango astandard wall outlet box, means for mounting a pilot lamp behind saidlamp opening including spaced contacts mounted on said rearwardlyextending walls, conducting means connecting one of the lamp contactswith one of the receptacle contacts, a break contactmounted in therecess for the other receptacle contact in position to be engaged by thecap contact before it engages the receptacle contact as the cap isplugged into the receptacle and to remain in engagement therewith, and aconductor connecting the brake contact with the other receptaclecontact.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature TONJES A. BOTH.

